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Don't Be Afraid of the Dark

R Released Aug 26, 2011 1h 39m Fantasy Horror Mystery & Thriller List
61% Tomatometer 178 Reviews 34% Audience Score 25,000+ Ratings
Lonely and introverted, young Sally (Bailee Madison) has just arrived at the 19th-century mansion that her father (Guy Pearce) and his girlfriend (Katie Holmes) are restoring. While exploring the sprawling estate, Sally discovers a hidden, long-undisturbed basement. Unwittingly, she unleashes a race of malevolent, dark-dwelling creatures who intend to drag her and her family down into the mansion's bottomless depths. A remake of the 1973 made-for-TV movie. Read More Read Less
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Don't Be Afraid of the Dark

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Critics Consensus

While it's pleasantly atmospheric and initially quite scary, Don't Be Afraid of the Dark ultimately fails to deliver the skin-crawling chills of the original.

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Critics Reviews

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Keith Uhlich Time Out You can sense producer and cowriter Guillermo del Toro’s hand in every shadowy nook and cranny. Rated: 3/5 Jul 1, 2024 Full Review Sara Michelle Fetters MovieFreak.com Next to Attack the Block, this beautifully realized bit of H.P. Lovecraft-like nastiness might just be the most fun I've had sitting in a theatre this entire Summer, the final product a B-grade sensation worthy of adoration. Rated: 3/4 Jan 27, 2012 Full Review Paul Byrnes Sydney Morning Herald Don't Be Afraid of the Dark is horror by-the-numbers. Parts of it are effectively chilling, and the performances are fine, but there's no sense of reality. Rated: 3/5 Nov 3, 2011 Full Review Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review Guillermo del Toro has always been fascinated with putting a face to our nightmares. And to be sure, many moviegoers will have nightmares from Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark. Rated: 3.5/4 Mar 9, 2023 Full Review Jason Adams My New Plaid Pants It does come off as a slightly watered-down Pan's Labyrinth - it steps towards the abyss of strangeness but never quite leaps off Jan 10, 2022 Full Review Mike Massie Gone With The Twins Like it's predecessor, one of the most unique aspects is the creature design, utilizing tiny, misshapen, devilish critters scurrying around on the ground like oversized rats. Rated: 6/10 Nov 30, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Regina P I don't really have any specific complaints about this story. It was fine. It just didn't wow me. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 11/24/23 Full Review Catie L It's not super "horror" but it's pretty creepy in all regards. Gave me nightmares after I watched it the first time Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/27/23 Full Review Jackie This was a high budget movie. The visuals were nice and all but it's such a shame that the directing didn't match up… it was really bad. It was very predictable and a lot of scenes were actually funny instead of scary. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 02/26/23 Full Review Onia T When I was 5 this scared me so much I hide the DVD at the top of my closet, I'm 17 now I watched the trailer and it scared me again. I both want to watch it again and don't because it scared me. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/09/23 Full Review Audience Member Goosebumps level scariness with better production values. The creepy creatures are nice but the whole thing is standardly standard. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review justin t Looked and sounded great as you would expect. The use of surround was especially enjoyable with the little demon's voices. It didn't feel original or special at all. It felt pretty generic actually. Sadly very forgettable, it felt like a cross between The Gate (1987) and The Others (2001) but failing to live up to either. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews
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Movie Info

Synopsis Lonely and introverted, young Sally (Bailee Madison) has just arrived at the 19th-century mansion that her father (Guy Pearce) and his girlfriend (Katie Holmes) are restoring. While exploring the sprawling estate, Sally discovers a hidden, long-undisturbed basement. Unwittingly, she unleashes a race of malevolent, dark-dwelling creatures who intend to drag her and her family down into the mansion's bottomless depths. A remake of the 1973 made-for-TV movie.
Director
Troy Nixey
Producer
Mark Johnson, Guillermo del Toro
Screenwriter
Guillermo del Toro, Matthew Robbins
Distributor
FilmDistrict
Production Co
Necropia, Gran Via
Rating
R (Violence|Terror)
Genre
Fantasy, Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 26, 2011, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 8, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA)
$24.0M
Runtime
1h 39m
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